On July 10, the world’s top golfers will converge on Silvis, Illinois for the 44th edition of the John Deere Classic, which is the final PGA Tour event before the the third major of the year, the British Open. Check out our preview of that tournament here.
Although most of the world’s top 50 golfers will have already arrived in England to prepare for the Open Championship, some of golf’s big names including defending champion Jordan Spieth and three-time champion Steve Stricker will still take part in this $4.7 million Quad Cities-based tournament.
Spieth and Stricker may be the odds-on favorites because of their past success in this tournament but there are other golfers in the 156-man field who are more than capable of making their own mark on this event. Below are three players who have the game to rise to the top and may be a good bet as high-value sleeper picks.
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Three 2014 John Deere Classic High-Value Sleeper Picks
Harris English
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After winning twice in his debut season last year, Harris English has cemented himself as one of the best young American golfers on the PGA Tour.
Priced at +2,000, English has yet to win a single Tour event this year with four missed cuts but his game appears to be headed in the right direction ahead of the British Open. He had a seventh-place finish last month at the Travelers Championship, where he finished with a strong final round of 67.
Another good performance here in the John Deere Classic will serve him in good stead ahead of the Open and he has every reason to be confident after finishing tied for 15th in this event last year.
Chris Kirk
Chris Kirk already has two career wins on the PGA Tour and is eighth in the FedEx Cup standings this season. Though he has not yet won this year, he has been close several times including a tie for fourth at last month’s Memorial Tournament.
With most of the elite golfers already prepping their game for the British Open across the Atlantic, Kirk, along with Spieth and English, are the only golfers in the top 10 of the FedEx Cup standings to compete in this year’s John Deere Classic.
That being said, Kirk will hope to improve on his finish last year where he ended up tied for 22nd with a final score of 13-under par. He is a smart bet at +3,000 to take home the title.
Kevin Streelman
Priced at +5,000, Kevin Streelman is heading to the John Deere Classic with confidence blazing sky high after a one-stroke victory over K.J. Choi and Sergio Garcia at the Travelers Championship two weeks ago.
The 35-year-old set the record for most consecutive closing birdies to win a PGA Tour event. He sank seven straight birdies, beating the mark set by Mike Souchak’s six consecutive birdies in the 1956 St. Paul Open.
With the win, Streelman climbed to 36th in the world golf rankings and is hoping to pull off another victory in his home state of Illinois. Streelman’s best finish at the John Deere Classic was a tie for eighth in 2012.
